Chinese Republic

(1912-1949) The Qing (Ch’ing or Manchu) the last Chinese imperial dynasty, collapsed in 1912 and replaced by the Chinese Republic of China founded by Sun Yat-sen in 1912 and lasted until the 1949 Communist takeover. After the Qing fell, porcelain production declined due to political turmoil, which led to the belief that porcelain quality also suffered. Recent scholarship confirms that porcelain output actually thrived in privately owned new kilns in Jingdezhen which copied and preserved porcelain techniques and high standards from the acclaimed imperial kilns and created superbly crafted pieces. Without imperial backing and oppressive oversight, guilds, artists and factories managed former imperial kilns creating modern porcelain which was more diverse, stylistically advanced and absorbed Western shapes and styles. Though this era has not yet received its full respect, late Qing, Republic Period and later 20th century porcelains are now recognized for their high-quality and skillful decoration and have become highly collectible.